By The Nut Graph
| 20 August 2008
| Comments Off on Yong mum over Jeffrey’s claims that SAPP MPs will cross over to Pakatan Rakyat
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KOTA KINABALU, 20 Aug 2008: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee is keeping mum over claims that 13 Sabah Members of Parliament (MP), including two from the SAPP, will cross over to Pakatan Rakyat soon.

“We already announced our stand (on 18 June 2008) to support a no-confidence motion in the Dewan Rakyat against the prime minister. That stand remains," he told reporters after unveiling the “Malaysia 1963” billboard at the SAPP headquarters in Luyang today.

Yong was asked to comment on the claims by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan on 18 Aug that 13 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs from Sabah would cross over to the Pakatan Rakyat if PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won the Permatang Pauh by-election on 26 Aug.

Jeffrey also claimed that two of the MPs were from the SAPP and the rest from Umno. SAPP’s two MPs are Datuk Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar) and Datuk Chua Soon Bui (Tawau).

“This question should be posed to other BN MPs,” said the former Sabah chief minister.

On another matter, Yong called on the Sabah government "to do justice" to the pioneers of Sabah and founders of Malaysia, and declare 2008 as the 45th, instead of 51st, National Day.

“We note that Sarawak has done the right thing by celebrating the 45th National Day and not the 51st. The people in Sabah (then North Borneo) and Sarawak had nothing but colonial rule to celebrate in 1957.

"As true Malaysians, we should celebrate 1963 (the year Malaysia was formed). We call on academicians, historians, civil servants and our political leaders to speak up in the interest of history and facts so that the government will respect history and the truth," he said. – Bernama